The Irony Of Dying On Your Birthday
by GrlWthAThrnNHrSd
Summary: Most eighteen-year-olds get parties on their birthday. Kagome gets a funeral she won't soon forget and an angry dog demon whose bent on exacting revenge on her for something she did in a former life...and they're supposed to work together? AU
1. What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

**The Irony Of Dying On Your Birthday**

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><p><em><strong>Full Summary: <strong>_Kagome Higurashi: beloved daughter, sister, and friend. Most eighteen-year-old's get parties for their birthday's. Kagome gets a funeral she won't soon forget and an angry dog demon whose bent on exacting revenge on her for something she did in a former life. And they're supposed to work together? Toss in a magic jewel, a lecherous "monk" who's an expert in the supernatural, his over-worked, underpaid intern with a past of her own, and an evil youkai who's trying to destroy Tokyo - and you've got a recipe for disaster. AU to the tenth power.

**Disclaimer: ***Bows down* I promise I'm only borrowing Rumiko Takahashi's characters for a little while. I'll return them to her when I'm done makin' 'em do stuff...relatively unharmed.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter One:<strong> What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger..._

_...Right?_

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><p>The angry, whipping wind slammed the door shut behind the tired young man as he sluggishly entered his apartment. He engaged the lock out of sheer habit, knowing that anything determined to get into his home wouldn't be detered by a simple dead bolt. With a deep sigh, he slowly shrugged off his coat, heavy with rain, and allowed it to puddle on the floor, soon followed by his shoes. He stood there in his damp socks, taking in his dark, quiet apartment, finally allowing his tense muscles to relax and his mind to rest.<p>

His apartment was fairly small, sparse excpet for necessary furniture, and the book cases that lined the walls, stuffed to capicity with thickly-bound novels. The main living area was an open floor plan that connected to a small kitchenette. A bare, hardwood hallway led to a generous enough bedroom and a small bathroom.

A short staircase led to a second floor, loft-like area that overlooked the living room. There was an extra mattress that serviced as a guest room, but mostly that area was filled with books and boxes of scrolls. His mind wandered first to the refridgerater, but his desire for sleep outweighed his hunger. A hot shower also sounded appealing, but that could wait until he'd had a solid night's sleep. He pulled his damp shirt up and over his head and tossed it into the steadily growing pile of wet clothes as he trudged over to his couch.

His tired eyes caught the flashing red light on his answering machine that signaled a message. Curious, despite his fatigue, he hit the play button with the flat of his palm before he collapsed across his sofa. Static filled the quiet room for a moment, joining in the muddled music of rain, wind, and distant thunder from outside, and then a woman's voice flowed from the speakers.

"You are the luckiest bastard on the face of the planet, Miroku. I don't know how you manage it, you filthy pervert, but the moment you clocked out a new case came in. Not an easy one, I'll have you know. I have half a mind to drive out to your house and pull you out of bed..."The woman's voice trailed off and a slow smile spread across Miroku's face. _'And I have half a mind to pull you in.._.' he thought just before her voice became clear once more.

" - but I think I would actually get more work done with you gone. Just wanted to let you know, that as my mentor, you've failed horribly. Going home the minute things start to get difficult, huh? Not that I'll have any trouble. I should be the one mentoring _you_. Give me six more months and I'll out rank you, you, you..."

Miroku couldn't help it. He chuckled merrily as his newest partner struggled to find a word strong enough to convey her deep-seeded disgust for him. When Sango had been transferred to his district she had been so damnably proffessional all the time; so quiet and reserved, preffering solitude over the company of others. Recently he'd been able to catch a glimpses of the firey personality that lay beneath her porcelain mask, even though it was generally only when he'd managed to piss her off.

Sango sighed heavily as squealing tires hissed in the background. Her voice was small now, as if she had the phone away from her mouth. Distracted, she mumbled something that sounded like, "how do I always manage to catch every red light in Tokyo?" Then, as if remembering she had an audience, she pressed the phone closer to her mouth. "Look, Miroku, you better not be late tomorrow," she practically growled. Her voice faded again as she attempted to hang up the phone, but before she did Miroku could faintly hear her muttering darkly, "_if he calls in sick tomorrow, I swear to God_..." the machine abruptly cut off and silence claimed his apartment once again.

Miroku wondered, idely, what case had come in that had gotten such a rise out of Sango. Though he could barely keep his eyes open, he stretched out his hand to press the play button once more. He fell into a deep sleep almost instantly, the sound of Sango's voice carrying him over into a dreamless slumber.

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><p>It was raining, she realized, the sensation of cold rain on bare skin came to her slowly, in small increments as she gained awareness. It was dark and she was spread out on something cold and hard. Chilly water was soaking her clothes, her hair, dripping down her face, her arms, the backs of her legs. <em>'What happened?<em>' she wondered blearily, trying to sit up, but her limbs felt weighed down and her mind was still moving sluggishly. She felt as if she'd been dropped from a great height, or perhaps run over by a bus. Or maybe she'd fallen from a great height _and then_ gotten run over by a bus. And then tried to limp away and been hit by another bus.

Groaning from the effort, the confused and very sore young woman forced herself up on her elbows so she could look around. She was at home, at her family's shrine. She was under the Goshinboku tree, sprawled out on the wet, unforgiving ground. With her head spinning, she tried valiantly to remember what had led her to pass out under the God-tree, outside, in the rain. Her brain was having a hard time connecting events, memmories, and images in a cohesive order.

"Okay," she whispered to herself, mostly for the comfort of her own voice. "My name is Kagome Higurashi. I live at Sunset Shrine with my family. I have an obese cat named Buyo. I was born in the year-of-the-dog. I'm seventeen – no, no wait! I'm eighteen. I turned eighteen today." The heavy fog wrapped around her brain cleared marginally. Kagome could remember waking up that morning, eating breakfast with her family. It was her birthday and also the first day of her last year of Senior High School. _'So why was I passed out in the pouring rain?'_

Kagome pushed herself up until she was on all fours, breathing heavily as she fought against her protesting muscles. _'What happened to me?' _Her vision spun as she pulled herself to her feet and staggered a few steps forward, tripping over the low fence that guarded the Goshinboku. She caught her fall on the trunk of the great tree, resting for a moment. Her skin felt icy and then hot all over as a brief electric sensation passed through her. Kagome's eyes widened as she looked around for the source of her discomfort. Lightening flashed across the sky, illuminating the shrine grounds for a moment, but Kagome could see nothing out of place. Kagome groaned, leaning heavily against the tree.

"Please, tell me I'm dreaming," she whimpered, touching her forehead to the rouch bark. At least the thick canopy of leaves above her sheltered her shivering form from the rain as she tried to regain her composure. Lightenin split the sky again, once again highlighting the world. The main house was set in sharp relief against the night sky. Oddly, it looked like the house was unoccupied, which was strange because her family should have either been getting ready for bed – or looking for her.

A flash of mingled red and silver caught Kagome's eye as thunder rolled overhead. Taking baby steps, Kagome carefully rounded the massive trunk and felt her heart lurch in her chest. "Definitely dreaming..." Kagome mumbled distractedly, eyes large and rounded in her small, pale face.

The Goshinboku tree had been an unchanging presence throughout Kagome's entire life. She had seen the great tree at least once a day, nearly every single day of her eighteen years. Kagome knew this as a fact, but her eyes were trying very hard to dispute what her head was telling her.

A youth, no older than she, was sleeping deeply againt the tree, entwined in heavy roots and vines that held him up, almost tenderly. The way the vines encircled him suggested that he'd been there for years and the foliage had simply grown around his body over time...but Kagome was pretty sure he hadn't been there yesterday.

The next bolt of lightening allowed Kagome to see that a worn arrow pierced his chest, right over his heart. Kagome's own chest ached in sympathy. To make the already spactacularly strange situation even more strange, Kagome noted that he wore robes that hadn't been in fashion since 1482. The wind blew the deep-red, trailing sleeves and tangled his long, silver hair. Kagome came closer, drawn to the sleeping boy. Thick lashes fanned out across his cheeks which were framed by unruly bangs. Kagome's eyes were drawn up to the oddly canid ears nestled in the mass of sleek, pale hair. Kagome's attention was fixated until a clap of thunder startled her out of her shock.

Casting one last glance at the sleeping boy, she turned and made her way to the house as fast as her shaky legs would carry her. The front door was locked, much to Kagome's dismay, so she fetched the spare key from under the welcome mat. It was warm and dark inside the house. Kagome stood there, dripping, breathing hard._ 'It's so quiet...'_

"Mom!" Kagome shouted, her legs giving out on her in the entrance. "Grandpa!" she cried when she received no answer. "Souta?"

The house remained dark and silent. Worry gripping her stomach, Kagome got back on her feet and began searching the house in vain. Her family was gone. No note, no explanaiton. Kagome had never felt such an unbelievable sence of utter wrongness in her life.

"Where is everyone?" she asked outloud, her voice echoing back to her. Kagome hadn't expected an answer, so she nearly jumped out of her skin when she received one.

"I'm sorry, but they aren't here," a soft, steady, distinctly female voice said from behind her. "They're probably at the hospital."

Kagome whirled on the intruder so quickly she nearly lost her percarious hold on conciousness and promptly fell on her ass. "W-who are you?" Kagome asked angrily, then realizing what the woman had just said, her anger liquified into fear. "Why would my family be at the hospital?"

The stranger looked down on her, her features touched with a hint of concern. "They're with you, I'm sure. Now, don't overexert yourself. Just take it easy. Afterall, you did, technically speaking, die today."

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><p>AN: Hehe...(insert sheepish smile) I know I should at least finish 'My Heart' before I start something new...but what can I say? (Shrugs) This came to me and I now I'm really excited about writing it. If the feedback is good I'll have the next chapter up in a day or two. Thanks for reading!

Reviews = love.


	2. Fame Over Demise

**The Irony Of Dying On Your Birthday**

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><p><em>Chapter Two: Fame Over Demise<em>

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><p>Kagome sat at her kitchen table, still slightly damp, and more than a little confused as she watched a perfect stranger boil a pot of water on her stove. The strange woman was dressed head to toe in black. Tight black jeans, a form-fitting black sweater, layered beneath a snug leather jacket. High black- leather boots that looked well fortified hugged her calves. Her long brunette hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail high on her head. Kagome imagined this was what a part-time ninja dressed like on casual friday's at the office, but maybe that was the hypothermia talking.<p>

"Okay, you're going to have to run that by me again. You expect me to believe that I died today? I can be a little airheaded sometimes, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't forget something as life-shatteringly important as, oh, I don't know...my _death!_" Kagome tried to ignore the way her voice rose higher and higher, borderlining on panic.

The black-clad woman fished out a couple tea-bags, manuvering through the kitchen with relative ease. She turned and shot Kagome look that hovered between pity and bemusement. Those dark, serious eyes held Kagome in her seat. It was the same gentle yet no-nonsense manner that had led Kagome to sit in her kitchen like a civilized adult and watch an obvious, though well-dressed, lunatic prepare her tea.

"You really don't remember?" The tall woman sighed as she dropped the tea bags in the boiling water. "Well, that's okay. For now, that might be for the best."

Kagome nodded her head agreeably. "Yeah. Okay. Cool. I'm gonna' call the cops now." Kagome stood and dashed madly for the phone. Sango turned to watch her, a small, sad smile on her lips. Kagome picked up the phone and tried to dial 911. She put the phone to her ear and was met with a sickening silence. "There's no dial tone," Kagome whispered, glaring fearfully at the woman leaning casually against the counter, watching her with an odd expression.

"Guess the lightening knocked out the phone lines," she supplied helpfully.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

The leather-clad woman paused in her tea-making preperations, shooting Kagome a bored look. "I _clearly_ can't kill you if you're already dead."

"Oh, _clearly_," Kagome repeated, hearing that hysterical edge back in her tone.

"Look, you're Kagome Higurashi, correct?"

"Yes," Kagome answered meekly, though she very much wanted to deny it.

"You died earlier today. Your body was taken to a hospital, but it was too late. Your brain is no longer functioning. All the cells that made you, _you_, are dead. Meaning, technically, that _you_ are dead. Your heart is still beating, but only because your body is hooked up to a machine that's making it beat for you. There's another machine working your lungs, and yet another working in place of your liver. The doctors are feeding you through a tube and all of your bowel movements are being regulated with another machine. Your body is still alive, in a sense, but no one's home. Do you understand? The sooner you accept it, the sooner we can move on to bigger things," she said in a firm, unrelenting tone, fixing the younger girl with an unwavering stare. "Now, where do you keep the glass ware?"

Kagome blinked away startled tears, leaning heavily against the wall. "The second cabinet to the left."

"Ah...would you like some tea, Higurashi?"

"Yes, please," Kagome responded automatically. _'That's right, Kagome. Play nice with the lunatic.' _She moved back to her seat at the table and accepted the mug of steaming hot tea greatfully enough, glad to have the warmth.

"So...if I'm 'dead' like you say, why am I sitting here with you drinking tea? Since I'm supposedly in a hospital bed somewhere out there."

The woman smiled over the rim of her cup. "Good question, Higurashi. Actually, your case is a unique one. You're not actually a ghost, because your body is still alive, in the most technical sense of the word."

"Yeah, you mentioned that."

"Anyway, a ghost is no big deal. I've dealt with many types of ghosts and other spirits." She bit her lip, eyes glazing over as considered her words carefully. "None of us really knows what you are, but we intend to find out. That's why I'm here. I need to take you back to headquarters."

Kagome had been staring deeply into her cup while the other woman talked, but now she looked up, brows creased with worry. "I hope you don't think I'm actually going anywhere with you. I don't know who you think you are -"

"I am Sango."

"Or what you think you're doing -"

"I'm trying to help you."

"Help me? Help me do what? Help drive me to the brink of insanity? And what is this headquarters? Is that where all the other lunatics in Tokyo convene?"

Sango chuckled. "No, what we do is rather difficult to explaine. It would be better if I could show you."

"I think you should leave. I'm pretty sure I'm having some bizzare dream right now, but I would really just like it if you would leave. I need a shower. I need to sleep and wake up tomorrow and not have a crazy woman in my kitchen making me tea, telling me I died. I need to not have a boy pinned to my tree in the backyard..."Kagome mumbled to herself some more, but Sango had stopped listening.

"Did you just say there was a boy pinned to your tree?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Is that somehow your fault, by the way?"

"_You can see him?"_

"Yes," Kagome answered slowly, leaning away from Sango's intense gaze.

Sango levelled her with a dark glare, a spark of fear, and something else Kagome couldn't name, in her eyes. "Higurashi... did you, by any chance, _touch_ the _tree_?"

"Umm...yes?"

"Oh, no. This is bad. This is so bad," Sango muttered, reaching in her pocket for her cell phone. "Oh, this is really not good. Miroku is going to catch so much hell for this tomorrow. I swear to God, if he's even one minute late tomorrow morning I will literally rip out his left kidney..." Sango began furiously dialing a number while Kagome quietly edged away from the panicing maniac in her kitchen.

Sango didn't even wait for the voice on the other end to greet her. "The concealing seal in ward thirteen is down."

Kagome watched, tight lipped, wide eyed. The person on the other end of the line must have known exactly what Sango was talking about, because no further instructions were needed. Sango closed the phone, shoving it back into her pocket. "Come on, we need to get away from here before all hell breaks loose."

"How about you go and I'll just stay here and wait for my family to come back?"

"You can't stay here, Higurashi. Even if you could, it's too dangerous with the seal down," Sango said calmly enough, but her body language belied her words. The girl was tense, muscles coiled, like a cat waiting for the right time to either pounce or run away.

"That boy...who is he? He can't possibly be dangerous..." The image of long silver hair blowing in the wind and errect dog ears flashed through her mind, making her wonder.

"That would be an incredibly long story, and we don't have time for that now. Maybe another day. Suffice it to say, he's no danger to us as he is now."

"Asleep, you mean?"

"Pinned. Sealed."

Kagome remembered the arrow driven through his chest and felt the ache of sorrow, a phatom pain through her own chest. "But I thought you just said the seal is down."

"The seal protecting him, concealing him, is down, not the seal that binds him." Sango shot her an exasperated look. "It would take an incredibly powerful miko to even _attempt _to break the binding spell. The seal that kept him hidden from prying eyes, on the other hand, was anchored by that tree. The tree itself was guarded by another spell because, in theory, one would only have to touch the tree to dislodge the concealment spell. By all logic, you shouldn't have been able to touch that damn tree, and he should still be invisible to the eye, to all the senses. If something isn't done about it soon, any nearby youkai will awaken, drawn by his power. Spell-bound as he is, he'll still draw a lot of attention."

Kagome smoothed down her damp hair calmly, eyeing Sango with a whole new level of scepticism. "Spells?Youkai? Really? You know, Halloween is only a few months away. Maybe you should wait until then to start yammering about youkai."

"_Yammering?_" Sango echoed, indignant, hands on her hips. "I'm being quite serious, Higurashi. I don't waste my breath for no reason."

"You sound like my grandfather, going on about youkai like that. I love my grandpa, but he's a little senile, I'll have you know. I don't think you have the same excuse."

Before Sango could reply, a tremor shook the earth and a loud, inhuman screech seared the air, making Kagome's skin crawl. Sango cocked her head down at the wide-eyed girl, with a smile that was both dissapointed and a little smug. "Guess you better learn to listen to your elders, Higurashi."

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><p>"What was that?" A considerbly paler Kagome asked.<p>

Sango ignored her, pacing the kitchen furiously. "You just couldn't make this easy, could you? All I had to do was bring you back to headquarters, process you, and carry my happy ass home. Nothing can ever just be simple, can it?" Sango sighed, calming slightly as she reached beneath her leather jacket. "This is all Miroku's fault," she mumbled as she withdrew a small pistol.

Kagome saw the gun and screamed, frightened more by the weapon then the sounds coming from outside. "Why do you have that?" Kagome ducked under the kitchen table and looked around for something to defend herself with. The pretty lunatic with the fancy boots was probably going to shoot her, but Kagome was at least going to make it slightly more difficult.

"Oh, calm down, I'm not going to shoot_ you_. Besides, it's only a 19mm, nothing to get too worked up about. You're lucky I never leave home without protection or we would be in really deep shit right now." Sango sighed, slipping the magazine into the gun with a soft '_click.' _"Though, honestly, weapons shouldn't have been an issue. This was supposed to be quick and easy, cut and dry case."

"Where are you going?" Kagome peeked over the edge of the table as Sango began walking away, the small gun shining innocently in her grip.

"Can't be letting rogue youkai roam around, now can I?"

"Course' not." Kagome whispered torpidly, watching her leave. Kagome knew she should be thrilled the crazy woman was leaving, but curiousity made her follow, though at a considerable distance. Sango marched out, dilagently, into the rain, gun poised.

A flash of movement caught Kagome's attention. A serpant-like creature was curled around the old well-house. It had a long, winding body that easily wrapped twice around the small building, and a vaguely humanoid upper-torso. Long, oily black hair fell down the creature's bare back and it had no less than six arms. Its skin was gray and covered in rough scales and the eyes were wide, bulging, and devoid of an iris. It had a large mouth, pulled back in a lethal grin, muddled skin stretched wide and oddly lipless. Large, yellowed fangs filled the gaping mouth and Kagome felt her stomach turn. She was suddenly very greatful that Sango had a gun.

Sango tossed Kagome look over her shoulder. "Still think I'm a lunatic?"

"No, now I think _I'm_ the lunatic." Kagome leaned against the door jam, feeling faint.

"Stay in the house, Higurashi. It's not safe out here."

"Not a problem." Kagome ducked back into the house, peering through the open door as Sango walked out, head held high, into the rainy night. The snake-like creature had been starring at the tree where the silver-haired boy was pinned, but now it turned its empty gaze on Sango.

Sango leveled her gun and took aim. The serpantine youkai raised itself, coiling its body as it rose higher. Sango's shot penatrated one of its six arms. The creature screamed its fury and launched at Sango. Much to Kagome's amazement, Sango deftly dodged the attack, rolling across the ground and swiftly aiming her gun for another shot. The next bullet pierced the scaly hide, but the rough scales seemed to offer some protection.

"Sango, aim for the upperbody!" Kagome called out, but Sango seemed to have noticed the same thing and quickly took aim. The youkai was nearly insane with rage, and didn't seem to like getting shot very much. When Sango took aim, it broke the roof on the well-house and hid itself inside.

As Sango got back to her feet, gun-barrel focused on the well-house, another flash of movement caught Kagome's eye. A nearly identical creature, only much larger, and more masculine in build, was curling its scaled body around the trunk of the Goshinboku.

Kagome's spirits sank even lower. "Sango, there's another one! To your left!"

Sango turned her head in time to see a second youkai curling around the base of the tree. _'Two youkai...19mm...one round of ammo...things just got slightly more difficult...'_

"Watch my back, Higurashi!" Sango called as she took off at a run. Her aim rang truer this time, landing a solid shot on the youkai's human-esque shoulder. It left a bubbling red wound and the injured youkai screamed with pain and rage. The female burst through the roof of the well house, searching for her mate.

"Sango!" Kagome called in warning. Kagome wasn't sure the girl could handle one of those monsters on her own, much less a pair. Sango's eyes shifted briefly, to check the distance of the female, before turning her attention back to the male. His eyes glowed red as he charged. Sango pulled the trigger. Two shots rang out in the otherwise quiet night, both landing in the chest, close enough to the heart to do some damage. The youkai screamed and writhed around on the ground in agony. The bullet seemed to be doing something abnormal to the skin. Smoke raised from the wound.

"Yeah!" Kagome cheered before she remembered the other youkai that was heading straight for Sango. Kagome felt sick with helplessness. Her eyes looked around for something she might be able to use to aid Sango, but the only thing even vaguely weapon-shaped was the umbrella stand by the front door. Kagome reached in and pulled out an umbrella. _'Definitely not gonna' help.' _

Kagome turned back to the fiasco in the yard. Sango seemed to be handeling herself fairly well as long as she remained one-on-one. The injured male seemed to be recuperating slowly and the female was keeping Sango busy, never staying still long enough for Sango to land a decent shot. _'Maybe if I can just distract them long enough...'_

Mind made up, Kagome grabbed the umbrella and ran out into the yard on shaky legs. "Hey! Ugly!" The youkai looked away from Sango, turning its red gaze on Kagome. "Yeah, I'm talking to you." Sliding to a stop, Kagome brandished her umbrella, her bravado fizzeling down to nothing. _'This might have been a mistake..._' The burning red eyes captivated her, made it hard for her to move. She was so focused on the youkai before her she didn't notice the one she turned her back on.

Before Sango could blink, the male youkai had his gnarled yellow fangs in Kagome's side, pulling her away. Dropping the umbrella, Kagome screamed so loud she hurt her own ears.

"Higurashi!" Sango cried, quickly lifting the barrel of her gun. The youkai was intent on Kagome, hunched over the girl's thin frame, coiling around her body. Sango aimed carefully, not wanting to accidentally hit Kagome. It was a shot she normally wouldn't have taken, but either way, Kagome was royally fucked. Sango chose to take the chance. The bullet hit its mark, sinking deep into the youkai's skull, right between its lusty red eyes. Its jaw went slack, freeing Kagome from his fangs. Sango didn't have time to check on the girl, because the female youkai gave a blood-curdeling howel and launched at Sango.

Sango moved quickly, rolling away from the brunt of the attack, but the serpantine body was long enough to hit Sango in its recoil. It slammed its tail into Sango, knocking the slim pistol out of her grip and into the air. As Sango watched her only weapon dissapear into the night, the only thing she could think was, _'damn it, Miroku.'_

Neither noticed the sudden pulse of energy around them as a a heart that hadn't beat in nearly 500 years began to stir.

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><p>Kagome was curled up on the ground, hands pressed to the wound in her side. Now that the brunt of her fear and shock had subsided, she realized she wasn't as badly injured as she first thought. The fangs hadn't fully penatrated her skin, but had raked along the pale skin, leaving long, angry red gashes in their wake. In a way, Kagome was thankful for the wound. She had been starting to believe Sango...but she felt so alive. And she could feel pain and cold and terror. If she weren't alive, then she wouldn't be able to feel those things, right? She wouldn't bleed, or cry, right?<p>

There was little blood, much to Kagome's relief, proof of her existance or not. She was sore and her side felt raw, but otherwise she was unharmed. Sitting up slowly, the first thing she did was look over at the Goshinboku. The boy was still sleeping...but was it just her or was there a weird aura surrounding him now? A pulse, a shimmer in the air around him. Kagome felt the need to go closer, but a groan from Sango distracted her.

The youkai had disarmed her and now it was curling around her, red eyes livid. It coiled around her lithe frame and Kagome realized it intended to kill her the way a snake will often kill its prey. It was going to squeeze her to death. Slowly. Painfully.

_'What do I do now? I can't just watch her die.' _

Sango's words came back to her.

"_That boy...he can't be dangerous."_

"_He's no danger to us as he is now."_

"_Asleep, you mean?"_

"_Pinned. Sealed."_

Kagome turned towards the Goshinboku._'Meaning he's dangerous when he's unsealed?'_ Kagome had no particular interest in unleashing someone that had been sealed away so painstakenly. But maybe he could help? '_When that thing finishes with Sango, it'll come after me too...I'm not going to just sit here and wait for it.'_

Kagome approaced the boy slowly. "You don't _look_ dangerous," she whispered. He looked young, innocent. He looked sad, Kagome realized. '_How long have you been pinned to this tree?' _she wondered, stepping closer. Kagome felt a shadow of guilt, a fleeting infinite sorrow. She stood on the balls of her feet and reached up to gently touch the boy's face. _'Maybe it's time you woke up, Inuyasha...' _It didn't occur to Kagome until much later that she shouldn't have known his name, since she'd never before heard it spoken outloud.

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><p>Being crushed to death was not how Sango intended to go out. It just wasn't the blaze of glory she'd always expected. It also didn't allow much room for observation, but Kagome just happened to be in her line of sight.<p>

'_Now would be a great time to interfere, Higurashi,_' Sango thought sarcastically. _'Wait...what is she doing?'_

The raven haired young woman was reaching for the arrow lodged in Inuyasha's chest. Sango didn't have much breath left in her body, but she used the last of it to scream out a warning. "No, Higurashi!"

Too late. Sango had seen a lot of shit in her twenty-three years of existance, but this was a first. Kagome wrapped her hands around the arrow. No pulling, no tugging. She simply touched the arrow and it disintigrated as if it had never existed. The spell that was never meant to be broken, shattered as if it had been made by a mere child. There was a beat of silence, a moment where the entire world held still, as If even the wind was afraid to blow. The thunder quieted, the lightening abated, the rain even seemed to stop.

And then there was a rush of youki so strong it made Sango want to close her eyes and accempt her demise. Sango must have still had some luck, though, because the coils wrapped tight around her body loosened as the youkai was distracted by the mind-staggering rush of power that hummed in the air. His power had been scealed for centuries and now it all came rushing back, flooding through him all at once.

The silver-haired youkai was still bound to the tree by years worth of foliage growth, but his hand suddenly moved, knuckles cracking. Sango's stomach bottomed out as livid amber eyes snapped open for the first time in nearly 500 years.

"Goddamn it, Miroku."

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><p><em>AN:_

Sorry for the short chapter, but I wanted to post something because I probably won't get another chance to do this until after the weekend. All necessary stuff, I guess, but I just needed to write through it to get to the interesting bits. Next chapter should be more fun, especially since Inuyasha will be awake.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed or added this little fic to their alerts or favorites. I hope to hear more from you! I really enjoy feedback, positive and negative, as long as it is constructive. So, please, tell me what you think!

Thanks again for reading!


	3. Dog Days Are Over

_**The Irony Of Dying On Your Birthday**_

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><p><em>Chapter Three: Dog Days Are Over<em>

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><p><strong>Annoying Authors Note<strong>: Just to reiterate – this is rated M for a reason. This chapter, it's mostly for Inuyasha's potty mouth. If you're not a fan of cursing you probably shouldn't read anything I've ever written. Consider this fair warning. _*****__grin*_

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><p>The Shikon-no-tama was in his possession at last. It was the answer to all of his problems: that little round bauble, sparkling so innocently in the bright morning sun, secure in his grip. He could finally become whole, no longer two broken halves glued precariously together, forced to tread life's journey alone, belonging to no one and nothing.<p>

The jewel, so small in his calloused palm, had been the one thing he sought after when he'd lost all other hope. Now, he could become full youkai. Like his father. Like his fucking half-brother. He would be powerful, untouchable. It was his only option, his only answer.

And to think he had been going to use it for _her_. To be _human. _What the fuck had he been thinking? He'd learned a long time ago not to trust anyone but himself. Pain scorched his chest, his guts twisted into knots. His eyes burned._ Fucking traitorous bitch._ He covered the pain, the fathomless sorrow, with anger. It was easier to handle that way. Anger he could understand, live with. It coated his memories of _her_, helped him breathe easier, hardened his heart. What had made him think he deserved even a modicum of happiness? What had made him think he could _fucking trust_ _her_? With a snarl, he took to the air, leaving the desolated village behind him. He was pretty sure he hadn't killed anyone, but it would take months, if not years, to repair the damage he'd done to the village and its crop fields.

Not that he gave a shit. Fuck _her_ and _her _village. He glanced down at the jewel, smirking to himself. Things were starting to look up.

"_Inuyasha!"_

For as long as he lived he would never forget the way she called his name. So much pain and sadness and hatred combined in that one word. So much power, so much emotion in those simple syllables, as if she'd thrown her whole heart and soul into it. He almost couldn't help himself. His pace slowed as he half turned, catching a glimpse of her in the distance. He met her gaze for one brief, beautiful, terrible moment...and then he felt it. The searing pain in his chest. Not the emotional, metaphorical, bullshit pain that had plagued his mind since the bitch first betrayed him. This pain was quite real.

Suddenly he wasn't moving anymore. He looked down, mildly surprised to see an arrow protruding from his chest. That lying bitch had shot him through the heart. _How fucking ironic. _How horribly appropriate. He gingerly touched the arrow as if not quite believing that it was really there. He wanted to growl, to thrash, to fight, to curse his vile fate and the woman who had,single-handedly, caused his complete and utter demise, but there was power in the arrow. His energy was leaving him rapidly, seeping away freely, the way blood gushes from an open wound. His life was fading fast.

The Shikon jewel fell from his numb fingers. He could hear her coming closer now. He looked up, glazed eyes searching her out because, well, if he was dying his last sight might as well be of her face.

"_Kikyou.._." he whispered, his voice tight with regret, heavy with the possibility of what could have been. And that was the last thing he said out loud for a very long time. Everything went black as he fell into a seemingly endless dream.

He was lost in the dark, unaware of who or what he was. Sometimes he remembered _her_, but mostly he was swimming in an endless black ocean. Sometimes a spark of clarity would enter his mind and his dreams would clear and he would see beautiful things. Sometimes he simply remembered his life in bits and pieces. Sometimes the dreams would become nightmares, but mostly he floated, lost and alone, unaware and untouched by time, with only his distorted dreams for company.

And then something pierced the black veil around him. He could smell it; _Blood_. _Her_ blood.

His soul stirred for the first time in centuries, waking from a deep hibernation. His sense of smell was the first thing that returned to him, though he was still so weakened from the magic-infused arrow, he couldn't even find the strength to open his eyes. His hearing came next, though he could barely understand what was happening around him.

He was in a type of limbo, neither fully awake nor fully asleep. But he could still smell _her_ blood and hear voices. Warm, gentle fingers touched his face, pulling him farther from the abyss. There was a tender pressure and a brief bite of pain as he the hole in his heart was reopened. But all of his energy, all of his power, that had been sealed away came rushing back, closing the wound as if it had been nothing more than a mere splinter.

His eyes snapped open, glowing fiercely in the faint starlight, and his lips pulled back in a malicious smile. He'd never felt so good before, so strong, like every nerve ending was on fire. He was awake. He was alive...and he was really fucking _pissed_.

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><p>Kagome was beginning to rethink her decision. The phrase <em>'out of the frying pan and into the fire'<em> came to mind as the air around the unsealed boy seemed to implode with energy. His eyes fluttered open and Kagome was taken aback. Fringed with thick black lashes, his eyes were a startling golden hue, but Kagome didn't have time to mull over his curious coloring because those eyes were suddenly focused on her and filled with a burning, unmistakable rage.

He pulled back his lips, showing off shiny, sharper-than-average teeth and _snarled_ at her, like an angry dog. "Kikyou."

The name, said with such utter malice, made Kagome shudder. Whoever Kikyou was, Kagome sure was glad she wasn't_ her_. She watched, open-mouthed, as the boy raised his hand and cut away the roots and vines that clung to his body as if he were brushing away flimsy spiderwebs. Funny, Kagome hadn't noticed the lethal-looking claws before.

"So, I'm alive, eh?" Inuyasha looked down at his own gleaming claws in the dull starlight, feeling his powerfully beating heart pumping hot blood through his veins, and smirked. His eyes, still vitrified with malevolence, snapped back to Kagome, who faltered and took a few halting steps back. "What's wrong, Kikyou? Didn't have the guts to finish the job?"

Kagome glanced over her shoulder, back at Inuyasha, and behind her once more. "Are you talking to me?" she asked, bewildered, pointing at her own chest.

"Don't play dumb with me, you lying bitch," a vicious snarl ripped from his throat. "Give me back what's rightfully mine and _I might_ have mercy on you and kill you quickly."

_'Maybe I should have taken my chances with the giant snake-thing...'_ Kagome thought wistfully. "Seriously, I don't know who Kikyou is and I don't have anything that belongs to you." Kagome shot the glowering boy an indignant glare. "I'm kind of having my own problems today, so I don't really need to get mixed up with your issues – _eep_!" Kagome gave a startled squeak of fear and ducked down, narrowly avoiding those gleaming claws. "Hey! What gives?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the cowering girl suspiciously. "What are you doing? The Kikyou I remember wouldn't shy from a fight like a scared kitten. I recall you being a liar and a traitor, but I don't remember you being a coward, bitch."

Anger flushed Kagome's cheeks and she glared darkly. "You obviously woke up on the wrong side of the tree. Use those fuzzy ears of yours and listen up: I'm _not_ Kikyou. My name is Kagome, and to be frank, I don't know that the hell you're talking about."

Inuyasha squared his shoulders and looked like he had something to add but Sango chose that moment to intervene. "Don't worry about me, guys. I'm totally fine. Have fun bickering, just let me know when you're done. I might be digesting in this youkai's lower intestine by that time, but whatever,"Sango said loftily, a bitter edge faintly lacing her tone.

"Sorry, Sango. I thought Mr. Tall, dark, and grumpy would help, but it looks more like he's intent on killing me. Oh, wait, I forgot: I'm already dead."

Inuyasha glanced back at the nearly hysterical girl before him and the other woman entangled within a youkai's rough coils. Kagome's skin prickled when Inuyasha threw back his head and gave a low, dark, bitter laugh. "The great priestess Kikyou wants _my help_? _My_ help?" he looked torn between being amused and incensed. "That's fuckin' rich."

"Oh my God, do you have a learning impediment? I'm not Kikyou! Who _is _Kikyou? Sango, tell him I'm not Kikyou."

"Higurashi is not Kikyou," Sango replied dutifully, with as bored a look as someone getting squeezed to death could manage. "And it just so happens that I'm not either. Some assistance, please?"

Inuyasha ignored the leather-clad woman and glared down at Kagome. "Why should I help? Why don't _you_ help your little friend. A weak youkai like that should be no problem for you. Destroy it with a single blast. You did it to me, after all."

"I've never seen you before in my life!" Kagome shouted as Sango gave a relieved cry, as the coils around her loosened even more. The red-eyed youkai apparently didn't care for Inuyasha's insults and bared her long, gnarled fangs at him. Sango was on her feet in an instance, grabbing Kagome and leading her away by the elbow to give the two youkai a wide berth. "I can not believe you unsealed him," she hissed between her teeth. "Like, I really can not believe you unsealed him. We are in so much trouble...I'm probably going to be fired."

Inuyasha favored the charging youkai with an annoyed expression. Well, he did have a lot of pent of energy and aggression, after all. Might as well take care of it, since Kikyou suddenly decided she was going to be incompetent. He allowed the youkai to approach full-blast, dropping to his haunches at the last second, letting his claws sink into the less-armored underbelly of the long,winding body, splitting it open from belly to tail. With a final, deafening death screech, the youkai settled to the ground, unmistakably dead.

Sango rolled her eyes. "He made that look too easy."

Kagome felt her jaw drop. "Holy cow..."

Sango shrugged her shoulder as her eyes searched the ground for her missing gun. "Brute strength isn't everything, Higurashi."

"Keh," Inuyasha turned to look at them over his shoulder, cracking his knuckles, blood still dripping from the tips of his claws. He met Kagome's eyes and gave her a small, lethal, lopsided grin as if to say '_you're next_.'

Kagome ducked behind Sango, who stiffened and met Inuyasha's confident gaze with a challenging glare. "I'm going to lose my 401K, thanks to you."

Inuyasha flattened his ears, throwing Sango a puzzled look before turning his attention back to Kagome. "Just give me the jewel."

"I don't have it!" Kagome cried, peeking over Sango's shoulder. "Man, and I thought you were nuts." Sango shot the younger girl a flat look. "Thanks, Higurashi."

"I'm fucking tired of this," Inuyasha muttered. "Give me the Shikon now, bitch, or you both die."

"That will be enough of that now, boy. Calm yourself. There's no need for further violence," A gentle voice floated out of the darkness, smooth, but carrying an unmistakable ring of authority. All three heads swiveled towards the source of the new arrival.

"Kaede-sama?" Sango's eyes widened with surprise, her voice holding notes of relief and astonishment.

"Who is that?" Kagome whispered near Sango's ear; at the same time Inuyasha growled, "who the hell are you?"

"That would be my._..ah..._supervisor of sorts. Kaede-sama, I wasn't expecting _you_." Sango was starting to look nervous.

The elderly woman smiled placidly as Kagome peered over Sango's shoulder to study her. Though her spine was slightly stooped from age, like a tree bent against the wind, she held a proud, graceful stance. She was wearing black slacks, a crisp button-up blouse beneath a pale blue cardigan, and horn-rimmed glasses. Her fine gray hair was pulled back into an elegant chignon at the base of her neck. Her finely wrinkled face managed to look both stern and kindly, like someone's grandma who could easily go from baking cookies to dishing out an ass-kicking, and back again – an image that was solidified when Kagome noticed the old woman was packing heat.

"You know what they say, Sango-san, if you want something done right you had better do it yourself. And this is a rather..._delicate_ situation."

Inuyasha grunted, not liking the crackle of spiritual power lacing the old woman's aura. The last time he'd felt the distinct edge of spiritual powers he ended up pinned to a tree, after all. Baring his teeth, Inuyasha turned back to Kagome. "Let's finish this now, bitch."

Before Kagome could even respond, Sango was pushing the startled girl away, throwing herself in the opposite direction so that Inuyasha's attack landed harmlessly between them. _'He's so fast...'_ Kagome thought as she quickly got to her feet in effort to dodge the snarling, amber-eyed boy's next attack. It was a close call. Kagome felt the wind from his blow, sure that she was missing at least a few centimeters of hair.

"Kaede-sama...now would be a good time to intervene," Sango urged.

"Shit," Inuyasha cursed as he felt, more than saw, the influx of spiritual energy. _'Better make this quick before the hag interferes.'_

Kagome was kneeling on the ground, eyes rounded with fear, in a pose of supplication that had Inuyasha grinning with triumph. His mind was so intent on revenge he nearly missed the proverbial noose that slipped around his neck. Halting mere inches from Kagome, Inuyasha grabbed the necklace of dark beads around his neck. "The hell is this?" he tried in vain to break the necklace.

"Hurry, Kagome. The necklace will not break, no matter how hard he tries, if you hurry. Give the subduing word," the old woman warned.

_'Subduing word?' _Kagome must have looked as lost and guileless as she felt, because Sango screamed at her impatiently. "Just say something!"

Those bright amber eyes snapped back to her as Inuyasha disregarded the beads encircling his neck. He raised his claws, still wet with blood from the slain youkai. The sharp claws, coupled with the small fangs peeking over his bottom lip and the insistent growling influenced Kagome's choice of words. She was focused on the absurdly cute ears atop his silver mass of hair when she spoke. "Sit, boy!"

Inuyasha let out a bewildered yelp as the beads around his neck glowed softly and pulled him down to the ground with enough force and speed to daze him. Kagome blinked innocently down at the boy face-down in the dirt, then glanced up at Kaede who looked mildly amused.

"Did I do that?"

"Indeed, child. Interesting choice of words. I had a feeling the beads of subjugation would come in handy this evening. It was a precaution, of course, but it's always better to be safe than sorry." Now that the initial threat had been nullified, Kaede walked closer, her eyes focused on the great tree where Inuyasha had been sealed for centuries. It was completely silent for a few moments as Kaede regarded the scene with sharp eyes.

It remained peaceful until Kagome calmed her racing heart and regained a portion of her composure. She jumped to her feet angrily and nudged Inuyasha in his side with the toe of her shoe. _Hard. _"You were really trying to kill me, you jerk!" Sango quirked an eyebrow at the word _'jerk._' Personally, she would have chosen a stronger noun, but she wisely kept her mouth shut.

"No shit!" Inuyasha glared up at her, slowly regaining control of his body. He grabbed the beads around his neck angrily. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" Inuyasha turned his angry eyes to Kaede. "Remove these, hag, or I'll kill you where you stand."

"Kagome, would you mind?" Kaede asked pleasantly.

"Of course not," she crossed her arms and grinned at Inuyasha who had just gotten to his feet. "Sit." While the pissed off boy was subdued, Kaede removed a small vial from her purse. She then removed a plastic-covered syringe that looked hospital issued, peeled back the plastic casing, and filled the syringe with the pungent liquid.

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked, watching the needle wearily.

"It will be best for everyone involved if Inuyasha were not awake for transport." Kaede filled the syringe to capacity, flicked the tip of the needle to test the flow, then sank the long needle with deft aim into Inuyasha's left buttock.

"Oi!" Inuyasha's head snapped up, teeth bared, eyes livid. Apparently the serum worked fast because the anger seeped out of Inuyasha's tense muscles as his eyes softened and glazed over. In another moment, his eyes were fluttering closed, and he lost the ability to hold his head up. Experiencing a weird sense of dejavu, Inuyasha slipped into a dreamless slumber, idly wondering if he would have been better off sealed to the fucking tree.

"He should sleep for at least an hour or two," Kaede announced as she cleaned up the evidence.

"You used enough tranquilizer to kill an elephant," Sango muttered, peering down at the unconscious boy.

"He'll be fine," the old woman assured them. "He'll sleep until we can move him to a more secure location. I don't fancy the idea of toting a volatile hanyou, whose been in suspended animation for the last five-hundred years, across modern-day Tokyo."

"Good point."

Kagome kneeled down next to Inuyasha, her gaze open and curious, and poked him in the shoulder to see if he was faking. "I like you a lot better when you're sleeping."

"I second that feeling," Sango muttered under her breath as she finally found her displaced gun. She wiped the muzzle clean on her pants and returned it to the holster.

"Sango-san," Kaede called.

Sango lifted her chin resolutely. "Yes?"

"I expect a full report on my desk tomorrow morning. It's getting late and I'm sure we all want to put this day behind us. Let's move these two to the base and deal with everything else after some rest."

"So...I'm still gainfully employed?"

"Of course, dear. Now, you two put those strong back's to good use and work together to move Inuyasha into the car; I'll call a clean-up crew to deal with the collateral damage."

Kagome looked around the shrine grounds that had been home to her ever since she could remember. The well-house roof was broken and youkai corpses littered the yard. Sango noted Kagome's expression. "Don't worry about your family. They won't be able to see the youkai if they beat the clean-up crew here, and they'll probably make the property damage look like it was damage caused by the storm."

"There are people who do that kind of stuff?"

"Yep. There's a whole task force devoted to clean up and concealment. Our..umm...'_corporation'_ is very extensive. We'll explain everything when we get back to headquarters."

"I have no idea what I'm about to get myself into, do I?"

Sango chuckled and offered the girl a wry smile. "Oh, you have no clue."

"I really can't just stay home?" Her bottom lip quivered.

"Not a chance, Higurashi, and don't you dare start crying on me now. Now, come on, let's get this jackass in the car. Do you want to take his hands or his feet?"

Kagome, who had absolutely had enough of Inuyasha's hands and the claws attached to them for one day, smiled brokenly and sighed. "I'll take his feet."

As Kagome lugged a tranquilized youkai down the shrine steps and smuggled him into a sleek, black limo, she was beginning to come to the full realization that her life would never be the same. After she and Sango had managed to load Inuyasha into the vehicle, '_accidentally'_ hitting his head on random object along the way, Kagome shuffled in next to Sango, surprised by the luxurious accommodations.

_'Who _are _these people?_' Kagome silently exclaimed in the safety of her own mind.

Sango slammed the door closed, giving the sleeping hanyou across from her a weary look. "Let's just hope he stays asleep until we get there."

Kagome found herself nodding in agreement, though she had no earthly idea where "there" was. Part of her was happier not knowing for the moment. She sat quietly, gazing longingly out the tinted windows as the shrine grew smaller and smaller. Kagome wondered if she would ever see her home or her family again.

"Happy birthday to me," Kagome sang under her breath, holding back tears.

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><p><strong>A.AN:**

I'm going to end it here for now. I'm curious as to what my readers would enjoy more: frequent updates and shorter chapters or less frequent updates and longer chapters? Please let me know your thoughts!

Thanks so much to everyone who has dropped me a line. I REALLY appreciate the feedback. Reviews make me happy. Even if the contents of the review were "Hey, you suck," I'd still be like "OMG A REVIEW! How nice of them to be so brutally honest!"

Heh. Also, I try to go back and edit my own work, but it's difficult and time consuming, so if anyone happens to notice mistakes, I would welcome you to point them out to me so that I may fix them. Once again, thank you so much for reading! Hopefully, if anyone has any burning questions, they'll all be answered (or at least addressed) next chapter.


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